Posted: 5/12/2026 8:37:01 AM EDT
Phil M. does a nice job with the CEO. CEO seems to have a handle on what's wrong with GC stores and Ive already noticed a difference in my local store with inventory. Its a good watch especially for anyone that owns a retail business or works in retail management. Guitar Center CEO Responds To My Criticism This got me thinking about what I've bought from GC over the years. 3 new amps, 2 PA cabs, a Headrush MX5, and a used Digitech RP360XP with a dead treadle. Don't think I ever bought a guitar from them... |
Crap Magnet Extraordinaire
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The bass joke was good. No surprise that the (inspired by Gibson) Epiphone headstock broke off….LOL. I too have noticed an improvement in GC. They’ve gone from avoid at all costs to an actual viable option when shopping for gear. I had a great experience in the Boise store a couple months ago. I had no idea they had a 45 day return policy. Wow! |
Pure blood saved by His.
In my defense I was left unsupervised.
In my defense I was left unsupervised.
My issue with guitar center was at least at my local one they never seem to have much higher end stuff in stock. I went in one time to look at a used PRS Tremonti they had. It was up on the top level so I asked an employee if I could check it out and he gave me a look like "ok bro". I'm guessing they're so used to 90% of their customers being broke that they just automatically assume nobody can actually afford a few thousand dollar guitar 
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Originally Posted By BTccw: The bass joke was good. No surprise that the (inspired by Gibson) Epiphone headstock broke off….LOL. I too have noticed an improvement in GC. They’ve gone from avoid at all costs to an actual viable option when shopping for gear. I had a great experience in the Boise store a couple months ago. I had no idea they had a 45 day return policy. Wow! Ditto (Like exactly my thoughts and recent experience. Just substitute Boise with Rockville, MD) Pro-Tip: Musicians Friend is under the same umbrella, but operates independently... I found MF had a very nice "Code: Spring" sale. GC did not. Preferring to support brick and mortar, I asked the guy at GC and he happily beat the MF price. 
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Originally Posted By mak0: My issue with guitar center was at least at my local one they never seem to have much higher end stuff in stock. I went in one time to look at a used PRS Tremonti they had. It was up on the top level so I asked an employee if I could check it out and he gave me a look like "ok bro". I'm guessing they're so used to 90% of their customers being broke that they just automatically assume nobody can actually afford a few thousand dollar guitar The Deluxe Reverb sounds so freaking good that I can't even stand to play with my little Supro tube amp. It sounds like a toy, in comparison. |
Pour over coffee is best coffee.
| Phil’s channel is the best for a no-ego nerd-out on guitars. I love listening to him when I’m walking the dog. |
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They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
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Originally Posted By corwin1968: Our local GC has quite a surprising number of high end guitars and thanks to the new CEO, many of them are unlocked. I spent about 1.5 hours today playing various Fenders and Gibsons thru a Fender Deluxe Reverb, in the small higher-end equipment room. I think the least expensive guitar I played was $1900 and the most was about $5500. I played every Tele and strat in the room (at least the unlocked ones), a Les Paul Standard 60's, a Les Paul, Jr., the Les Paul with two P-90's and a Jazzmaster. Although I'm a newly converted Tele guy, my favorite guitar was a $2500 Strat in Olympic White with a mint pickguard. Not only was it gorgeous, but it was set up beatifully and sounded freaking amazing, even the bridge pickup sounded good! The Deluxe Reverb sounds so freaking good that I can't even stand to play with my little Supro tube amp. It sounds like a toy, in comparison. As much as people love the "bedroom volume" thing, there is just nothing like an amp with real headroom moving air without compression making it sound lifeless. I took my niece to GC last year to acoustic shop and it felt different from ten years ago when I was last in there. I have bought used online specifically because of the easy return policy to the local store. It sounds like a CEO that actually understands the customers and the industry holy shit. |
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Guitar Center would be disappointed with what I did today on TEMU. I had a real Telecaster 50 years ago. Never learned to play it. My excuse for this one is I want to set it up as a dedicated slide axe. I’ll never learn to play it either. Planning on using “ran out of time” as the excuse this time. $120 shipped INCLUDING THE HARD CASE isn’t the most reckless thing I’ve ever done. Attached File Attached File |
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They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
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Originally Posted By splitbolt: In the face of everything that tells them to do otherwise; why do they still cling to the early 80s (IBM?) inventory bullshit? Tell me you've never been involved in an ERP/CRM update without letting me you've never been involved in an ERP/CRM update. |
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Originally Posted By RickFinsta: As much as people love the "bedroom volume" thing, there is just nothing like an amp with real headroom moving air without compression making it sound lifeless. . Except it’s not practical to play a peavey 6505 half stack on full kill mode when you play 4+ hours a day. My 6505 plugin sounds 95 percent as good at a volume that doesn’t wake my family up at 3:30 am when I’m practicing and the half stack only sounds better than the plugin through my studio monitors when it’s on full kill mode. In fact a top level producer put multiple bands guitars through amp sims and the high level pro band members couldn’t tell the difference. The gap isn’t as much as some like to believe and the sims get better every year. They both have their place and many pro touring bands found the small gap not to be worth the hassle and expense when touring so they even use amp sims live now which is really the only place a real tube amp has any advantage at all. |
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Yes, the mission drives the gear train. I've said that, even on these forums, ad nauseum. I've been doing the modeler thing since before the POD, and if I toured, I would use a modern tube amp with MIDI control and IR outputs, and only use cabinets if they were provided as backline. If I had a more complex setup (like if I ever used pedals) I'd probably move to a fly rig style modeler. You read too much into my statement. Dude found out what power section compression feels like and loved it that was my only point. |
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The gc here sucks. A 12x18 roughly acoustic room. Only 2 chairs..maybe 1 stool. That they leave thier ladders in. I was looking to buy a Martin...but wanted to play it. Nope...not with 2 others folks in thier strumming away....damn near rubbing elbows. Add to that...if I did decide to get it...it was only available as the " demo". I've bought guitars from that store..uke,amps etc. Every time I try to look at new it's " sorry it's the last one " ...ok so drop x% off for the pick rash etc. Nope can't do it. I've got thier cc card and can afford with out it to buy what I want...but it's to the point even my wife told me to " just try it....then go to Sweetwater " Told her I'd have a csr rep that would be moving in if I did that. Maybe it's just the gc here as it's not huge like many but the service has always been meh. But make sure you pimp the extendo coverage on a snark to me when it's all I'm buying today. 
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i dont want my final jig in the belly of a squid.
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Originally Posted By RickFinsta: Tell me you've never been involved in an ERP/CRM update without letting me you've never been involved in an ERP/CRM update. My wife managed a retail specialty store for a national chain, high end stuff, and they were clinging to their old DOS system and oddly enough a very loose return policy like GC. They just started closing stores and will be gone by year's end. I think that business was older than GC. |
Crap Magnet Extraordinaire
I know fuck Bill Burr but this whole vid is hilarious. Starts at the GC part: Bill Burr Stand-Up Comedy: Bill Burr on Sad Men, Dementia & Guitar Center |
Crap Magnet Extraordinaire
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Originally Posted By Czechers: I know fuck Bill Burr but this whole vid is hilarious. Starts at the GC part:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFbcljQeik4|493Well, he’s not wrong. 
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Pure blood saved by His.
In my defense I was left unsupervised.
In my defense I was left unsupervised.
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Originally Posted By RickFinsta: Yes, the mission drives the gear train. I've said that, even on these forums, ad nauseum. I've been doing the modeler thing since before the POD, and if I toured, I would use a modern tube amp with MIDI control and IR outputs, and only use cabinets if they were provided as backline. If I had a more complex setup (like if I ever used pedals) I'd probably move to a fly rig style modeler. You read too much into my statement. Dude found out what power section compression feels like and loved it that was my only point. Sorry didn't mean to offend anyone. I don't spend a lot of time here anymore so I'm not familiar with your previous posts on the subject. I spend most of my time playing with my daw and playing through my little monitor speakers so I can always have a drum beat because metronomes get boring lol. I wouldn't even have a real amp if it wasn't for meeting a drummer that is in a band but heard the songs I've been writing and wants to jam together to see what happens. On a side note, I'm really into the new Blue Medusa Alyssa Day and Dani Sophia are amazing together on guitars. |
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Originally Posted By RickFinsta: Lazy worker? What in the world would that have to do with you not having ever been through an ERP update/changeover? FWIW nowadays I own and operate my own manufacturing facility and yes, I have an ERP. Before this I have worked for several worldwide companies, and I've used around a dozen different ERP systems ranging all the way back to AMAPS. I've also been through a few update projects. They always went over time, over budget, and then not everything transferred or worked correctly. There are a shitload of reasons to stick with "working well enough" and many of them have nothing to do with cost. A shitload? Name the top 5... that have the customers' interests at heart. Not a necessarily a call-out... The summer jobs I had from 10-16 years old, was at a place that was paid by IBM for their programming 'expertise' in inventory control. I thought it was shit back then... I'm now 50. I can't even imagine trying to sell shit online in this day and age, with that shit program. Why you to attempt to justify it, is cookoo to me... Plenty of smaller entities have made the 'transition' just fine... I'm glad this CEO recognizes it's shortcomings... Then again, half-measures are only half-measured... |
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I think it has cost the brick and mortar stores money. We've opted to buy items online from Amazon and from GC online because we didn't want to get stuck while a GC employee waits on another employee to get off their terminal to help the customer who he already has his terminal tied up with. We've had this exact conversation (my son the semi pro musician and )... Me: "do you really want to go wait in line while the staff try to unfuck a return for the guy in front of you for an hour?" Son: "nah, you're right Dad." [shuffles off to buy cables via Amazon next day] Bit the bullet and bought my HR MX5 there when i decided i wanted one andnit came down a $100 price increase was imminent and local GC 2 in stock. Got there and one should have been coded as open box because the factory seal was broken and it had obviously been a return. Luckily they had one sealed unit. Ended up selling it when I couldn't live without a PC or android interface but bc of the price increase I sold it for what I paid 
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Crap Magnet Extraordinaire
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Originally Posted By Czechers: I think it has cost the brick and mortar stores money. We've opted to buy items online from Amazon and from GC online because we didn't want to get stuck while a GC employee waits on another employee to get off their terminal to help the customer who he already has his terminal tied up with. We've had this exact conversation (my son the semi pro musician and )... Me: "do you really want to go wait in line while the staff try to unfuck a return for the guy in front of you for an hour?" Son: "nah, you're right Dad." [shuffles off to buy cables via Amazon next day] Bit the bullet and bought my HR MX5 there when i decided i wanted one andnit came down a $100 price increase was imminent and local GC 2 in stock. Got there and one should have been coded as open box because the factory seal was broken and it had obviously been a return. Luckily they had one sealed unit. Ended up selling it when I couldn't live without a PC or android interface but bc of the price increase I sold it for what I paid |
Pour over coffee is best coffee.
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I just bought an open box AT4081 for dealer cost and a few packs of EXL100Ws to try out the wound 0.018" G string just to support a CEO who seems to get it and give a shit. I worked at a guitar shop for a long time, and tend to support local shops (Cream City Music and Dave's Guitar Shop have been local for me in one way or another for decades). When I worked in the hard sciences for large corporations, I worked for exactly one CEO who "got it" out of many. I hope they have success, as if they don't I do worry that small, local, independent stores will suffer as well and everything will move to online sales. |
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Originally Posted By Czechers: I know fuck Bill Burr but this whole vid is hilarious. Starts at the GC part: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFbcljQeik4|493Yep born and lived in MA. |
Mach
Nobody is coming to save us.
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Nobody is coming to save us.
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Originally Posted By corwin1968: I've gone in to buy accessories and left for this exact reason. I want to support local but I won't stand there waiting for 15-30 minutes because their checkout system sucks. If they fix it, I'll make small purchases every time I go in. I do that for bike shops, just to support them. I tried to support a local trailer parts and repair shop the other day. After waiting for 15 minutes for the owner to get off the phone to help me, I tried to purchase a spare wheel and tire for my trailer. The guy said, I don’t have time today to put one together for you and when I asked a price he just shrugged and said I don’t know, about $250. So I left and ordered one from Amazon and had it shipped to my house for free in less than 24 hours and paid $134. This seems to be a reoccurring theme among stores. |
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Bud speaks again What a choad. Attached File |
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They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
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Last time I went to guitar center it was to buy a Fender Strat. I had cash in my pocket as well as a trade with me. The selection was decent and there were a couple I was interested in. It was hard to browse because some possibly homeless guy was playing a squier at full volume the whole time. There always seemed to be a ladder blocking what I wanted to look at too. I finally made up my mind and asked about a strat that was on sale on the website but marked higher in the store. The employee couldn’t do anything for me. I left (the dude was still playing the squier at full volume) and went on Reverb and ordered a used Fender Player strat for cheaper than anything in the store and was even a color I liked better. |